1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for a head-protecting airbag body in which by ejecting gas from an inflator when a predetermined high load is applied to a side portion of a vehicle, at least an airbag body accommodated along a roof side rail portion inflates in a curtain shape.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present applicant has already proposed a head-protecting airbag apparatus which is so constructed as to inflate an airbag body, accommodated in a folded state extending from an pillar portion to a roof side rail portion, in the form of a curtain along a side window glass, in order to improve the ability to protect the head of a vehicle occupant sitting on a front seat when a predetermined high load is applied to a vehicle side portion. Hereinafter, a structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No.11-91490 (published Apr. 6, 1999) which has proposed this head-protecting airbag apparatus will be described.
In this head-protecting airbag apparatus, as shown in FIG. 34, a jump base 202 is disposed below a folded airbag body 200 and the jump base 202 is disposed extending from a position in front of the B pillar 204 (called center pillar also) across the B pillar 204. The jump base 202 is composed of a sheet material bent so as to have an L-shaped cross-section and has a guide wall 202A extending toward a upper end portion 206A of the B pillar garnish 206. Therefore, when the airbag body inflates, as shown by the double dot dash line in FIG. 34, the airbag body 200 expands into the interior of the vehicle occupant compartment along a guide wall 202A of the jump base 202, so that the airbag body 200 does not become caught up by the upper end portion 206A of the B pillar garnish 206. Note that, ordinarily, the B pillar garnish 206 is divided into two sections, upper and lower, and the upper B pillar garnish is fastened to a vehicle body 212 at two upper and lower points.
However, although in this head-protecting airbag apparatus, the lower end portion of the B pillar garnish 206 is firmly fastened to the vehicle body, a upper end portion 206A is fixed to the vehicle body via a clip in order to increase of installing the head-protecting airbag apparatus. As a result, it can be considered that if the vehicle body is deformed by a side collision, the clip 210 may become dissociated from the vehicle body 212 so that the airbag body during inflation may be caught up by the upper end portion 206A of the loose B pillar garnish 206 as it inflates.